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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · trunk · spell · squash · net · chip · can · straw

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. net — for catching
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. net — after costs
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. clip — a video
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. net — in sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. clip — for paper
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. spell — letters
  18. can — a tin
  19. chip — for betting
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. chip — to eat
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com